Hell's Angels
by yamiishot
Summary: AU. Claire encounters a certain scientist during her search for Sherry. As they flee from the monster Sherry's mother has become, can the trio escape with their lives, and hearts, intact? - Cooperatively written by Yamiishot & MA-121
1. Chapter 1

-1Her heart pounded in her chest as her feet pounded likewise against the iron walkway, ragged breaths being torn from her dry throat, harsh calls of "Sherry!" barely loud enough to echo. She stopped once again, gun hanging loosely in her limp hand, ponytail swinging wildly as her head turned, calling again and again, pausing, hearing no reply. She needed to rest, to pause, to get back her breath from the stinking sewer air, but she could afford to, she needed to find the little girl and get her out of here, away from the monsters roaming freely around, ready to prey on unprotected people.

She didn't have the energy to run any further, barely managing a slow jog, switching to a walk, muscles aching and crying out for rest, for food, for water, for sleep even, but she forced herself onwards, one hand almost glued to the wall for guidance.

_Five minutes…please, let her be safe…for five minutes…_ She stopped, leaning against the wall, barely holding back tears of exhaustion. All she wanted…was to save Sherry. To get her away from his horrible place. To meet up with Leon again…

She prised her aching body away from the dirty wall moments later, another small stain on her pink bottoms, the top with the missing child. The thin black body suit wasn't enough to keep her warm, however, not in this empty place. Moving on once more, she managed to get up a faster pace, not as needing of a break.

Soon enough, barely a minute after her break, she stopped, hearing footsteps round the corner to her right, fast, too fast to be a carrier. They slowed then stopped, like her own had.

Her heart fluttered painfully. Was it a friend? Foe? She didn't dare take the chance, her loose grip on her lifeline weapon tightened and she brought it up, leaning against the wall, attempting to slow her loud, obvious breathing. She counted to three in her head.

_One…Two…THREE!_

She swung out into the side corridor, gun aiming directly in front of her -

She didn't know what she had expected, perhaps Sherry, perhaps Leon…perhaps even a monster.

Certainly not this…


	2. Chapter 2

He'd been wandering through the sewers for hours now. He had tried to follow Annette -or what was left of her- but was now miserably lost in this disgusting maze.

How could he let it happen? How could he leave her alone, how could he let her inject herself with the G-Virus? He was trying to find something to medicate her wounds, but why couldn't he just stay there and hold her tight instead of running off to fetch some useless first aid kit. Those injuries were too serious to even hope that a makeshift bandage could do her any good.

_I should have stayed... it should have been me. _

And it really should have been him in front of the USS when they broke into his lab to steal his work. A moment earlier and they would have found him and not his wife... and now it would have probably been him to raid the sewers as a bloody monstrosity, chasing down those cold blooded murderers in blind rage. If only he could rewind time a little... but then again, there were so many things that had gone wrong in their lives.

But there was no such thing as a time machine, and not even his genius could save now. Had it been only for Annette, he would have probably given up by then and end this torture right there with a bullet in his head, but there was still Sherry, lost and helpless in the middle of this viral apocalypse and with every hour, William's hopes to find her alive grew thinner and thinner.

Against all objective consideration that a twelve year girl couldn't have survived alone for so long, he kept searching, and he would go on forever until he'd find her, the very thought of loosing his only child being way too much to handle.

He paused for a moment, resting against the filthy wall and checked his clip before resuming what was slowly turning into a hopeless tour of the sewers. At least he had plenty of ammo to rely on...

Suddenly the sound of loud footsteps shook him off his thoughts, dragging his attention to the noise coming from a side tunnel on his left. No one was supposed to be there, certainly not alive. And the only human presence in that place could only mean one thing.

_Umbrella. _

He drew the Glock out of its holster, index on the trigger, trained on whoever was about to pop out from the corner.


	3. Chapter 3

-1

The touch of a gun to your forehead is a feeling not easily forgotten. Anyone who's been threatened like that and lived to tell the tale will tell you how it feels, the feeling of helplessness that comes with it, the terror that comes from the cool metal, knowing that only a small movement from the wielder is needed to send you to your final destination.

Pressed against her forehead was a gun. She couldn't tell what make it was, only that it was cold, dangerous, and very, very frightening. Her own weapon was pressed against the chest of her attacker, against the dirty white folds of a shirt, a blood spotted red tie, and an equally bloodied lab coat hanging about his shoulders.

She met his eyes and found them a cold blue, surrounded by freckles, stubble, wrinkled at the edges with something akin to utter hatred, to such an extent that she was almost terrified by that look alone. She kept it from showing though, and tried to work through it.

"…And I thought I was the last person down here…" she murmured, letting a little relief creep into her voice. She would have lowered her gun, but his was still on her head. He opened his mouth, and she expected to hear something friendly, perhaps an apology for the gun.

"Umbrella spy!" she couldn't believe the venom in the words, nor understand why he had said them, but the tightening of his hand around the deadly weapon at her head had her worried.

"I'm not a spy!" She couldn't understand how anyone could think that, especially from looking at her. "And I'm certainly not from Umbrella!" She could see he wasn't going to accept that.

"Lower your weapon!" he barked. She could see his eyes moving, examining her. They took in her outfit, the grime on it, the various bruises she was covered in…She shivered slightly, a chill running down her spine, the memory of Iron's gaze resurfacing. "And give me back my sample!"

"What sample? I don't have anything on me!" she returned, the same level of hostility in her own voice. She noticed he seemed taken aback by it, and mentally counted that as a win against him. Evidently he wasn't used to being challenged. "And I'm _not_ lowering my weapon until yours is down." She did wonder for a moment that if she lowered hers, would he do the same? No, of course not! He'd shoot her, she could see it in his eyes!

He opened his mouth to reply to her when a hissing noise erupted from above them. She saw him look up in a flash and pale, stepping back. She looked up too, pointing the weapon up…at the largest Spider she'd ever seen in her life, as wide as a car, fangs bared and dripping with venom.

She gasped, eyes widening in terror as it loosened its grip and fell towards them.

Something barrelling into her, and for a petrifying moment, she though it was the spider - _oh god I'm screwed_ - but the lack of fangs sinking into her body and the sound of rapid gunfire makes her look up.

The spider lay on it's back, twitching as its legs curled up slowly, and directly in front of her stood the man who only moment's before had been holding a gun to her head, pointing his weapon at the spider's dead body, breathing hard.

Suddenly, as if he only just remembered she was there, he turned to her and stepped back, looking down at his gun. There was no round in the chamber. The clip was empty. He was unarmed.

Their eyes met again. He spoke.

"Go ahead then. Kill me."


End file.
